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Governmental Problems
Dwelt On at Length In
the Document
OF THE
Czolgosz and His Ilk Enemies of
the Human Race
THE MERITS OF RECIPROCITY
President Defends the Workings of tbo
Protective Tariff Construction of tbo
Nlcaruguan Canal Urged and the Lay
ing of a Cable to Hawaii and the
Philippines Changes In the 1reaont
Mlllt la Laws Recommended The Navy
A comprchcnslvo synopsis of President
Roosevelts message to Congress is given be
low
To Uo Senate and House of Representatives
The Congress assembles this year- under
tbo shadow of a great calamity On tho sixth
of September President McKlnley was shot
by an anarchist while attending the Pan
American Exposition at Buffalo and died in
LUy n th0 fourteenth of that month
LS a t 80Vn eocted Presidents he is
tno third who has been murdered and the
bara recital of this fact is sufficient to jus
tify grave alarm among all loyal American
citizens Moreover the circumstances of this
tho third assassination of an American Presl
4enE 5avo a Peculiarly sinister significance
Both President Lincoln and President Gar
field were killed by assassins of types unfor
tunately not uncommon In history President
Lincoln falling a victim to the terrible pas
sions aroused by four years of civil war
and President Garfield to the revengeful van
i1 disappointed offlce soeicer President
MoKlnley was killed by an utterly depraved
criminal belonging to that body of criminals
who object to all governments good and had
mike who are against any form of popular
liberty If it Is guaranteed by even the most
Just and liberal laws and who arc as hostile
to the upright exponent of a free peoples
sober will as to the tyrannical and Irresponsi
ble despot
It is not too much to say that at the time
of President McKlnloys death ho was the
most widely loved man in all the United
States while we have never had any public
man of his position who has been so wholly
freo from tho bitter animosities incident to
public life Thero could be no personal
hatrod of him for he never acted with aught
but consideration for tho welfare of others
No one could fall to respect him who knew
him in public or private life The defenders
of those murdererous criminals who soek to
excuse their criminality by asserting that it
13 exercised for political ends invoiglnagainst
wealth and irresponsible power But for this
assassination even this base apology can
not be urged
Tho President speaks in the highest terms
of the personal and public virtues of Mr Mc
Kinley Describing the nitnrn nt thn o
sinatlon and the motive that inspired It the
message continues
Motive oT tho Assassin
Tho blow was aimed not at this Presi
dent but at all Presidents at every symbol of
government The anarchist and especially
tho anarchist in the United States is merely
one type of criminal more dangerous than
any other because he represents the same
depravity in a greater degree The man who
advocates anarchy directly or Indirectly in
any shape or fashion or tho man who apolo
gizes for anarchists and their deeds makes
himself morally accessory to murder before
the fact The anarchist is a criminal whose
perverted Instincts lead him to prefer confu
sion and chaos to the most beneficent form
of social order His protest of concern for
worklngmen is outrageous in Its impudent
falsity for if the political Institutions of this
country do not afford opportunity to every
honest and Intelligent son of toll then the
door of hope-is- forever closed against him
Tho anarchist is everywhere not merely the
enemy of system and progress but the dead
ly foe of liberty If over anarchy is triumph
ant Its triumph will last for but one red
moment to be succeeded for ages by the
gloomy night of despotism
Would Kicludo Anarchists
I earnestly recommend to the Congress
that In the exercise of its wise discretion it
should take into consideration tho coming
to this country of anarchists or persons pro
fessing principles hostile to all government
and Justifying tho murder of those placed
in authority No matter calls more urgently
for the wisest thought of the Congress
The Federal court3 should be given Juris
diction over any man who kills or attempts
to kill the President or any man who by the
Constitution or by law is in line of succes
sion for the Presidency while the punish
ment for an unsuccessful attempt should be
proportioned to the enormity of tho offense
against our Institutions
Anarchy is a crime against the whole
human race and all mankind should band
against the anarchist His crime should be
made an offense against the law of nations
like piracy and that form of mansteallng
known as the slave trade for it is of far
blacker infamy than either It should be so
declared by treaties among all civilized pow
ers
The Trnst Problem
The tremendous and highly complex
industrial development which went on with
ever accelerated rapidity during the latter
half of the nlrteenth century brings us face
to face at thi beginning of the twentieth
with very serious social problems The old
laws and the old customs which had almost
the binding forco of law were once quite
sufficient to regulate the accumulation and
distribution of wealth Since the industrial
changes which have so enormously increased
the productive power of mankind they are no
longer sufficient
The creation of great corporate fortunes
has not been due to the tariff nor to any
other governmental action but to natural
causes in the business world operating in
other countries as they operate in our own
Ic is not true that as the rich have grown
richer the poor have grown poorer On the
contrary never before has the average man
the wage worker tho farmer the small trad
er been so well oft as in this country and
at the present time There have been abuses
connected with tho accumulation of wealth
yet it remains true that a fortune accumu
lated only on condition of conferring im
mense incidental benefits upon others Suc
cessful enterprise of the type which benefits
all mankind can only exist if the conditions
arc such as to offer great prizes as the re
wards of success
The captains of industry who have driven
tho railway systems across this continent
who have built up our commerce who have
developed our manufactures have on the
whole done great good to our people With
out them the material development of which
wc are so justly proud could never have
taken place Moreover we should recognize
tho Immense importance to this material
development of leaving as unhampered as
is compatible with the public good the strong
and forceful men upon whom the success
of business operations inevitably rests
Caution Is Urged
An additional reason for caution In deal
ing with corporations is to be found in the
International commercial conditions of to
day The same business conditions which
have produced the great aggregations of cor
porate and individual wealth have made them
very potent factors In international commer
cial competition America has only just
begun to assume that commanding position
in the international business world which we
believe will more and more be hers It is
of the utmost importance that this position
be not jeoparded especially at a time when
the overflowing abundance of our own natu
ral rosources and tho skill business energy
and mechanical aptitude of our people make
foreign markets essential Under such con
ditions it would io most unwise to cramp
or to fetter the youthful strength of our
Nation
Disaster to great business enterprises can
never have its effects limitedto the men at
the top It spreads throughout and while it
Is bad for everybody it is worst for those
farthest down Tho capitalist may be shorn
of his luxuries but the wage worker may
bo deprived of oven bare necessities
In facing new industrial conditions the
aholo history of the world shows that legis
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lation will concrally bo botli unwlso and In
effective unless undarlaken after calm Inquiry
and with sober self restraint Much of tho
legislation directed at tbo trusts would have
been exceedingly mischievous bad it not also
been entirely ineffective In dealing with
business Interest for tho government to un
dertake by crude and ill considered legisla
tion to do what may turn out to be bad
would be to incur tho risk of such far-reaching
national disastor that it would be prefer
aDlo to undertako nothing at all
All this Is true and yet it is also true
that thero are real and sravo evils one of
the chief being over capltalliatlon because
of lto many baleful consequences and a reso
lute and practical effort must be made to
correct theso evils
Government Sapervltlon
It ta no limitation upon property rights
or freedom of contract to require that when
men recoivo from government the privilege of
doing business under corporate form which
frees them from Individual responsibility
and enables them to call into their enterprises
tho capital or the public they shall do so
upon absolutely truthful representations as to
the valuo of the properly in which the capi
tal is to be invested Corporations engaged
in Interstate commerce Bhouldbe regulated
If they are found to exercise a license work
ing to the public injury It should be as
much the aim of those who seek for social
betterment to rid the business world of
crimes of cunning as to rid the entire body
politic of crimes of violence Great corpora
tions exist only because they are created
and safeguarded by our instil utions and it
is therefore our right and our duty to see
that they -work in harmony with these insti
tutions
Publicity Remedy for Trusts
Tho first essential in determining how to
deal with the great industrial combinations
is knowledge of the facts publicity lu tho
Interest of tho public hc government should
have the right to inspect and examine tho
workings of the great corporations engaged
in interstate buslners Publicity is the only
sure remedy which we can now invoke What
further romodles are needed in the way of
governmental regulation or taxation can
only be determined after publicity has been
obtained by process of law and in the course
of administration Tho first requisite is
knowledge full and complete knowledge
which may be made public to the world
Artificial bodies such as corporations and
Joint stock or other associations depending
upon any statutory law for their existence or
privileges should be subject to proper gov
ernmental supervision and full and accurato
information as to their operations should bo
made public regularly at reasonable intervals
The large corporations commonly called
trusts though organized in one state always
do business in many states often doing very
little business in the stato where they are
Incorporated There is utter lack of uniform
ity in tho state laws about them and as no
state has any exclusive Interest in or power
over their acts it has In practice proved im
possible to get adequate regulation through
state action Therefore In the interest of the
whole people the Nation should without in
terfering with the power of the states in the
matter itself also assumo power of super
vision and regulation over all corporations
doing an interstate business This Is espe
cially true where tho corporation derives a
portion of its wealth from the existence of
some monopolistic element or tendency in its
business There would be no hardship In
such supervision banks aro subject to it and
in their caso it is now accepted as a simple
matter of course Indeed It is probable that
supervision of corporations by tho National
government need not go so far as is now the
case with tho supervision exercised over them
by so conservative a state as Massachusetts
in order to produce excellent results
I believo that a law can bo framed which
will enable tho National government to exer
cise control along the lines above indicated
profiting by the experience gained through
the passage and administration of the Interstate-Commerce
Act If however the judg
ment of the Congress is that it lacks the
constitutional power to pass such an act
then a constitutional amendment should be
submitted to confer tho power
There should be created a Cabinet officer
to be known as Secretary of Commerce and
Industries as provided in the bill introduced
at the last session of tho Congress It should
bo his province to deal with commerce in its
broadest sense including among many other
things whatever concerns labor and all mat
ters affecting the great business corporations
and our merchant marine
Restriction on Immigration
With tho sole exception of the farming
interest no one matter Is of such vital mo
ment to our whole people as the welfare of
the wage workers If the farmer and tho
wago worker are well off it is absolutely
certain that all others will be well off too
It is therefore a matter for hearty congratu
lation that on the whole wages are higher
to day in the United States than ever before
in our history and far higher than in any
other country The standard of living is also
higher than ever before Every effort of leg
islator and administrator should be bent to
secure the permanency of this condition of
things and its improvement wherever possi
ble Not only must our labor bo protected
by the tariff TUt It should also be protected
so far as it is possible from the presence in
this country of any laborers brought over by
contract or of those who coming freely
yet represent a standard of living so de
pressed that they can undersell our men in
tho labor market and drag them to a lower
level I regard it as necessary with this
end in view to re enact immediately the law
excluding Chinese laborers and to strength
en it wherever necessary in order to make
its enforcement entirely effective
So far as practicable under the conditions
of government work provision should be
made to render the enforcement of the eight
hour law easy and certain In all indus
tries clxrried on directly or indirectly for the
United States government women and chil
dren should be protected from excessive
hours of labor from night work and from
work under unsanitary conditions
The most vital problem with which this
country and for that matter the whole civ
ilized world has to deal is the problem
which has for one side the betterment of so
cial conditions moral and physical in largo
cities and for another side the effort to deal
with the tangle of far reaching questions
which we group together when we speak of
labor Very great good has been and will
be accomplished by associations or unions of
wage workers when managed with fore
thought and when they combine insistence
upon their own rights with law abiding re
spect for the rights of others The display of
these qualities in such bodies is a duty to the
Nation no less than to the associations them
selves Finally there must also in many
cases be action by the government in order
to safeguard the rights and interests of all
Under our Constitution there is much more
scope for such action by the state and the
municipality than by the Nation But on
points such as those touched on above the
National government can act
Our present immigration laws are unsaT
isfactory We need every honest and effi
cient immigrant fitted to become an Ameri
can citizen every immigrant who comes here
to stay who brings here a strong body a
stout heart a good head and a resolute pur
pose to do his duty well in every way and to
bring up his children as law abiding and
God fearing members of the community But
there should be a comprehensive law enact
ed with the object of working a threefold im
provement over our present system First
we should aim to exclude absolutely not only
all persons who are known to be believers in
anarchistic principles or members of an
archistic societies but also all persons who
are of a low moral tendency or of unsavory
reputation This means that we should re
quire a more thorough system of inspection
abroad and a more rigid system of examina
tion at our immigration ports the former be
ing especially necessary
The second object of a proper immigra
tion law ought to be to secure by a careful
and not merely perfunctory educational test
some Intelligent capacity to appreciate Amer
ican Institutions and act sanely as Ameri
can citizens This would not keep out all
anarchists for many of them belong to the
intelligent criminal class But it would do
wnat is also in point that is tend to de
crease the sum of Ignorance so potent in
producing the envy suspicion malignant
passion and hatred of order out of which
anarchistic sentiment inevitably springs
Finally all persons should be excluded who
are below a certain standard of ecouomic fit
ness to enter our industrial field as com
petitors with American labor There should
be proper proof of personal capacity to earn
an American living and enough money to in
sure a decent start under American condi
tions This would stop the Influx of cheap
labor and the resulting competition which
gives rise to so much of bitterness in Ameri
can industrial life and it would dry up the
snrings of the pestilential social conditions
in our great cities where anarchistic organ
izations have their greatest possibility of
growth I
Question of Reciprocity
There is general acqulesence in our pres
ent tariff system as a national policy The
first requisite to our prosperity is the con
tinuity and stability of this economic policy
Nothing could be more unwise than 10 dis
turb the business interests of the country by
any general tariff change at this time Doubt
apprehension uncertainty are exactly what
we wish to avoid in the interest of our com
mercial and material well being Our
t
w a
prSS
enca in tho past has shown that sweeping
revisions of tho tariff are apt to jroduno
conditions closely approaching panic in tho
business world Yet it is not only possible
but eminently desirable to combine with the
staDiiuy oi our economic system a supple
mentary system of reciprocal benefit and obli
gation with other nations Such reciprocity
Is an incident and result of the firm estab
lishment and preservation of our present
economic policy It was specially provided
for In tho present tariff law
Our first duty Is to see that the protection
granted by the tariff in every case where It
is needed is maintained and that reciprocity
be sought for so far ns It can safely be done
without injury to our borne industries Just
how far this is must be determined accord
ing to the individual case remembering al
ways that every application of our tariff pol
icy to meet our shifting national needs must
be conditioned upon the cardinal fact that the
duties must never bo reduced below the point
mat win cover me amerence oetween tho
labor cost here and abroad The well being
of the wage worker 13 a prime consideration
of our entire policy of economic legislation
Subject to this proviso of the proper pro
tection necessary to our industrial well being
at homo the principle of reciprocity must
command our hearty support Tho pheno
menal growth of our export trade emphasizes
the urgency of tho need for wider markets
and for a liberal policy in dealing with for
eign nations Whatever is merely petty and
vexatious In the way of trade restrictions
should be avoided The customers to whom
we dispose of our surplus products in the
long run directly or indirectly purchase
thoso surplus products by giving us some
thing in return Their ability to purchaso
our products should as far as possible be
secured by so arranging our tariff as to en
able us to take from them those products
which we can uso without harm- to our own
industries and labor cr the use of which will
be of marked benefit to us
vo have now reached the point in the
development of our interests whore we are
not only able to supply our own markets
but to produce a constantly growing surplus
for which wo must find markets abroad To
secure these markets we can utilize existing
duties In any case where they are no longer
needed for tho purpose of protctlon or In any
case where the article is not produced hero
and the duty Is no longer necessary for
revenue as giving us something to offer in
exchange for what we ask The cordial re
lations with other nations which are so de
sirable will naturally be promoted by the
course thus required by our own Interests
The natural line of development for a
policy of reciprocity will bo in connection
with those of our productions which no long
er require all of the support once needed
to establish them upon a sound basis and
with thoso others where either because of
natural or of economic causes we are beyond
the reach of successful competition
I ask the attention of the Senate to tho
reciprocity treaties laid before it by my pre
decessor
Onr Merchant Marine
The condition of the American merchant
marine is such as to call for immediate
remedial action by the Congress It is dis
creditable to us as a Nation that our mer
chant marine should be utterly insignificant
in comparison to that of other nations which
we overtop in other forms of business
American shipping is under certain great
disadvantages when put In competition with
the shipping of foreign countries Many of
the fast foreign steamships at a speed of
fourteen knots or above are subsidized and
all our ships sailing vessels and steamers
alike cargo carriers of slow speed and mail
carriers of high speed have to meet the
fact that the original cost of building Ameri
can ships is greater than is the case abroad
that the wages paid American officers and
seamen aro very much higher than those paid
the officers and seamen of foreign competing
countries and that the standard of living
on our ships is far superior to the standard of
living on tho ships of our commercial rivals
Our government should take such action
as will remedy these inequalities The Amer
ican merchant marine should be restored to
the ocean
Tho Act of March 14 1900 intended un
equivocally to establish gold as the standard
money and to maintain at a parity therewith
all forms of money medium in uso with us
has been shown to be timely and judicious
The price of our government bonds in the
worlds market when compared with the
price of similar obligations issued by othor
nations is a flattering tribute to our public
credit This condition it is eminently desir
able to maintain
In many respects the National Banking
Law furnishes sufficient liberty for the proper
exercise of the banking function but there
seems to be need ofbetter safeguards against
the deranging influence of commercial crises
and financial panics Moreover the currency
of the country should be made responsive
to the demands of our domestic trade and
commerce
Redaction of Revenues
The collections from duties on imports and
internal taxes continue to exceed the ordi
nary expenditures The utmost care should
be taken not to reduce tho revenues so that
thre will be any possibility of a deficit but
after providing against any such contingency
means should be adopted which will bring the
revenues more nearly within the limit of our
actual needs
I call special attention to the need of strict
economy in expenditures The fact that our
national needs forbid us to be niggardly in
providing whatever is actually necessary to
our well being should make us doubly care
ful to husband our national resources as
each of us husbands his private resources by
scrupulous avoidance of anything like waste
ful or reckless expenditure
Regulation of Railroads
In 3S87 a measure was enacted for the reg
ulation of interstate railways commonly
known as the Interstate Commerce Act The
cardinal provisions of that act were that
railway rates should be just and reasonable
and that all shippers localities and commo
dities should be accorded equal treatment A
commission was created and endowed with
what were supposed to be the necessary nowr
ers to execute the provisions of this act
That law wa3 largely an experiment Ex
perience has shown the wisdom of its pur
poses but has also shown possibly that some
of its requirements are wrong certainly that
the means devised for the enforcement of its
provisions are defective
The act should be amended The railway
is a public servant Its rates should be juBt
to and open to all shippers alike The gov
ernment should see to It that within its juris
diction this is so and should provide a speedy
inexpensive and effective remedy to that end
Atthe same time it must not be forgotten that
our railways are the arteries through which
the commercial lifeblood of this nation flows
Nothing could be more foolish than the en
actment of legislation which would unneces
sarily interfere with the development and
operation of these commercial agencies The
subject is one of great importance and calls
for the earnest attention of the Congress
The message points out the value of the
American forests and the necessity for their
conservation and urges the construction and
maintenance of reservoirs and irrigating
systems for the reclamation of the arid lands
of the West Of the water rights it says
In the arid states the only right to water
which should be recognized is that of use In
irrigation this right should attach to the
land reclaimed and be inseparable therefrom
Granting perpetual water rights to others
than users without compensation to the
public is open to all the objections which
apply to giving away perpetual franchises to
the public utilities of cities A few of the
Western states have already recognized this j
ana nave liiuurpuraieu m meir constitutions
the doctrine of perpetual state ownership of
water
Development of Hawaii
Our aim should be not simply to reclaim
the largest area of land and provide homes
for the largest number of people but to
create for this new industry the best possible
social and industrial conditions and this re
quires that we not only understand the ex
isting situation but avail ourselves of the
best experience of the time in the solution
of its problems A careful study should be
made both by the nation and the states of
the irigatlon laws and conditions here and
abroad Ultimately it will probably be neces
sary for the nation to co operate with the
several arid states in proportion as these
states by their legislation and administration
show themselves fit to receive it
In Hawaii our aim must be to develop the
territory on the traditional American lines
Wo do not wish a region of large cities tilled
by cheap labor we wish a healthy American
community of men who themselves till the
farms they own All our legislation for the
Islands should be shaped with this end in
view the well being of the average home
maker must afford the true test of the
healthy development of the islands The
land policy should as nearly as possible be
modeled on our homestead system
It is a pleasure to say that it is hardly
more necessary to report as to Porto Itico
than as to any state or territory within our
continental limits The island is thriving as
never before and it is being administered
efficiently and honestly It3 people are now
enjoying liberty and order under the pro
tection of the United State and upon this
fact wo congratulate them and ourselves
Their material welfare must be as carefully
and Jealously considered as the welfare of
3spwc i
any other portion of our country Wo have
given them the great gift of freo access for
their products tq the markots of the United
States I ask the attention of the Congrcs3
to the need of legislation concerning tho pub
lic lands of Porto Rico
Progress In Cuba
In Cuba such progress has been mado to
ward putting tho Independent government of
tho island upon a firm footing that before tho
present session of tho Congress closes this
will be an accomplished fact Cuba will then
start as her own mistress and to thj beauti
ful Queen of tho Antilles as sho unfolds this
new page of her destiny we extend our
heartiest greetings and good wishes Else
where I havo discussed the question of reci
procity In tho caso of Cuba however there
are wolghty reasons of morality and of na
tional Interest why tho policy should be held
to have a peculiar application and I most
earnestly ask your attention to the wisdom
Indeed to the vital need of providing for a
substantial reduction in tho tariff duties on
Cuban importB into the United States Cuba
has in her constitution affirmed what we de
sired that she should stand in international
mattors In closer and more friendly relations
with ub than with any other power and we
are bound by every consideration of honor
and expediency to pass commercial measures
in the Interest of her material well being
The Philippine Troblem
In the Philippines our problem is larger
They are very rich tropical Islands inhabi
ted by many varying tribes representing
widely different stages of progress toward
civilization Our earnest effort is to help
these people upward along the stony and dif
ficult path that Iead3 to self government Wc
hope to make our administration of the is
lands honorable to our nation by making it
of the highest benefit to tho Filipinos them
selves and as an earnest of what we intend
to do we point to what we have done Al
ready a greater measure of material prosper
ity and of governmental honesty and effici
ency has been attained in the Philippines
than over before in their history
In dealing with tho Philippine people we
must show both patience and strength for
bearance and steadfast resolution Our aim
is high We do not desire to do for the Is
landers merely what has elsewhere been done
for tropic peoples by even tho best foreign
governments W hope to do for them what
has never before been done for any people
of the tropics to make them fit for self
government after the fashion of the really
free nations
To leave the islands at this time would
mean that they would fall into a welter of
murderous anarchy Such desertion of duty
on our part would be a crime against hu
manity The character of Governor Taft and
of his associates and subordinates is a proof
If such bo needed of the sincerity of our ef
fort to give the islanders a constantly in
creasing measure of self government exactly
as fast as they show themselves fit to exer
cise it Since the civil government was J
laonsnea not an appointment nas ueun muue
In the islands with any reference to consider
ations of political influence or to aught else
save the fitness of the man and the needs
of the service
There are still troubles ahead in the Is
lands The insurrection has become an affair
of local banditti and marauders who deserve
no higher regard than the brigands of por
tions of the old world Encouragement di
rect or indirect to these insurrectos stands
on tho same footing as encouragement to hos
tile Indians in the days when we still had In
dian wars As we will do everything in our
power for the Filipino who is peaceful wo
will take the sternest measures with the
Filipinos who follow the path of the insur
recto and the ladrone
Tho timo has come when there should be
additional legislation for the Philippines
Nothing better can be done for the islands
than to introduce industrial enterprises
Nothing would benefit them so much as
throwing them open to industrial develop
ment It is therefore necessary that the
Congress should pass laws by which tho re
sources of the islands can be developed so
that franchises for limited terms of years
can be granted to companies doing business
in them and every encouragement be given
to the incoming of business men of every
kind
I call your attention most earnestly to the
crying need of a cable to Hawaii and the
Philippines to be continued from the Phil
ippines to points in Asia We should not
dofer a day longer than necessary the con
struction of ouch a cable It is demanded
not merely for commercial but for political
and military considerations
Either the Congress should immediately
provide for tho construction of a govern
ment cable or else an arrangement should
bo made by which like advantages to those
accruing from a government cable may be
secured to the government by contract with
a private cable company
Recommends Nlcarnguan Canal
No single great material work which re
mains to be undertaken on this continent is
of such consequence to the American people
as the building of a caual across the Isthmus
connecting North and South America While
its beneficial effects would perhaps be most
marked upon the Pacific coast and the gulf
and South Atlantic states it would also
greatly benefit other sections it is em
phatically a work which it is for the interest
of the entire country to begin and complete
as soon as possible it is one of those great
works which only a great nation ean under
take with prospects of success and which
when done are not only permanent assets
in tho nations material interests but stand
ing monuments to its constructive ability
I am glad to be able to announce to you
that our negotiations on this subject with
Great Britain conducted on both sides in a
spirit of friendliness and mutual good will
and respect have resulted in my being able
to lay before the Senate a treaty which if
ratified will enable us to begin preparations
for an Isthmian canal at any time and which
guarantees to this nation every right that
it has ever asked in connection with the
canal In this treaty the old
treaty so long recognized as Inadequate
to supply the base for the construction and
maintenance of a necessarily American ship
canal is abrogated It specifically provides
that the United States alone shall do the
work of building and assume the responsi
bility of safeguarding the canal and shall
regulate its neutral use by all nations on
terms of equality without the guaranty or
interference of any outside nation from any
quarter The signed treaty will at once be
laid before the Senate and if approved the
Congress can then proceed to give effect to
tho advantages it secures us by providing for
the building of the canal
Tho true end of every great and free peo
ple should be self respecting peace and this
nation most earnestly desires sincere and
cordial friendship with all others Over the
entire world of recent years wars between
the great civilized powers have become less
and less frequent Wars with barbarous or
smi barbarous peoples come in an entirely
different category being merely a most re
grettable but necessary international police
duty which must be performed for tho sake
of the welfare of mankind Peace can only
be kept with certainty where both sides wish
to keep it but more and more the civilized
peoples are realizing the wicked folly of war
and are attaining that condition of just and
intelligent regard for the rights of others
which will in the end as we hope and be
lieve make world wide peace possible The
peace conference at The Hague gave definite
expression to this hope and belief and mark
ed a stride toward their attainment
Tho Monroe Doctrine
This same peace conference acquiesced in
our statement of the Monroe doctrine as
compatible with the purposes and aims of
the conference
The Monroe doctrine should be the car
dinal feature of the foreign policy of all the
nations of the two Americas as it is of the
United States The doctrine is a declara
tion that there must be no territorial ag
grandizement by any non American power at
tho expense of any American power on Amer
ican soil It is in no wise intended as hostile
to any nation in the old world Still less is
it intended to give cover to any aggression
by one new world power at the expense of
any other It is simply a step and a long
step toward assuring the universal peace of
the world by securing the possibility of per
manent peace on this hemisphere
This doctrine has nothing to do with the
commercial relations of any American power
save that it in truth allows each of them to
form such as it desires In other words it
is really a guaranty of the commercial in
dependence of the Americas We do not ask
under this doctrine for any exclusive com
mercial dealings with any other American
state We do not guarantee any state against
punishment if it misconducts itself pro
vided that punishment does not take the
form of the acquisition of territory by any
non American power
Our attitude in Cuba is a sufficient guar
anty of our own good faith We have not
the slightest desire to secure any territory
at the expense of any of our neighbors We
wish to work with them hand in hand so
that all of us may be uplifted together and
we rejoice ever the good fortune of any of
them we gladly hail their material prosper
ity and political stability and are concerned
and alarmed if any of them fall into
- 99
trial or political chnos Wo do not wish to
see any old world military power grow up on
this continent or to be compelled to become
a military power ourselves Tho pcople3 of
tho Americas can prosper best if left to work
our their own salvation in their own way
Powerful Navy Urged
The work of upbuilding tho navy must bo
steadily continued Whether we desire it or
not we must henceforth recognize that wo
havo International duties no less than inter
national rights Even If our flag were haul
ed down in the Philippines and Porto Rico
oven If wo decided not to build tho Isthmian
canal we should need a thoroughly trained
navy of adequate size or else be prepared
definitely and for all time to abandon the
idea that our nation is among those whose
sons go down to the sea In ships Unless
our commcrco Is always to bo carried in for
eign bottoms wo must have war craft to
protect It
So far from being in any way a provoca
tion to war an adequate and highly trained
navy is the best guaranty against war the
cheapest and most effective peace insurance
The cost of building and maintaining such a
navy represents the very lightest premium
for insuring paece which this nation can
possibly pay
Probably no other great nation In tho
world Is so anxious for peace as wo are
There is not a single civilized power -which
has anything whatever to fear from ag
gressiveness on our part Ail we want Is
pence and toward this end we wish to bo
able to secure the Bamo respect for our
rights In return to insure fair treatment to
us commercially and to guarantee the safety
of the American people
Our peopie Intend to abldo by tho Mon
roe doctrine and to insist upon it as the one
sure means of securing tbo peace of tbo
Western hemisphere The navy offers us the
only means of making our insistence upon
the Monroe doctrine anything but a sub
ject of derision to whatever nation chooses
to disregard it We desire the peace which
comes as of right to the just man armed
not the peace granted on terms of Ignominy
to tho craven and the weakling
It Is not possible to improvlso a navy
after war breaks out The ships must bo
built and the men trained long in advance
In the late war with Spain the ships that
dealt tho decisive blows at Manila and San
tiago had been launched from two to four
teen years and they were able to do as they
did because the men in the conning towers
tho gun turrets and the engine rooms had
through long years of practice at sea learned
how to do their duty
It was forethought and preparation which
secured us the overwhelming triumph of 183S
If wo fail to show forethought and prepara
tion now there may come a tlmo when dis
aster will befall us instead of triumph and
should this time come the fault will rest
primarily not upon those whom the acci
dent of events puts in supreme command at
the moment but upon those who have failed
to prepare In advance
There should be no cessation In the work
of completing our navy It is unsafe and
unwise not to provide this year for several
additional battleships and heavy armored
cruisers with auxiliary and lighter craft in
proportion for tho exact numbers and char
acter I refer you to the report of the Secre
tary of the Navy But there is something we
need even more than additional ships and
this is additional officers and mon To pro
vide battleships and cruisers and then lay
them up with the expectation of leaving
them unmanned until they are needed in
actual -war would be worse than folly it
would be a crime against the nation
To send any warship against a competent
enemy unless those aboard it have been
trained by years of actual sea service in
cluding incessant gunnery practice would be
to invito not merely disaster but the bitter
est shame and humiliation Four thousand
additional seamen and one thousand addi
tional marines should be provided and an
increase in the officers should be provided
by making a large addition to the classes at
Annapolis
Oar Present Naval Force
Wo now have seventeen battleships ap
propriated for of which nine are completed
and havo been commissioned for actual serv
ice The remaining eight will bo ready in
from two to four years but it will take nt
least that time to recruit and train the men
to fight them It is of vast concern that we
have trained crews ready for the vessels by
the time they are commissioned Good ships
and good guns arc simply good weapons and
the best weapons are useless save in the
hands of men who know how to fight with
them The men niU3t bo trained and drilled
under a thorough and well planned system
of progressive instruction while the recruit
ing must be carried on with still greater
vigor
The naval militia forces are state organi
ations and are trained for coast service and
in event of war they will constitute the inner
line of defense They should receive hearty
encouragement from the general government
But in addition we should at once pro
vide for a National Naval Itesarve organi7ed
and trained under the direction of the Navy
Department and subject to the call of the
Chief Executive whenever war becomes immi
nent It should be a real auxiliary to the
naval seagoing peace establishment and of
fer material to be drawn on at once for
manning our ship in timo of war It should
be composed of graduates of the Naval Acad
emy graduates of the Naval Militia officers
and crews of coast line steamers longshore
schooners fishing vessels and steam yachts
together with the coast population about
such centers as life saving stations and light
houses
Need for Powerful Navy
The American people must either build
and maintain an adequate navy or else make
up their minds definitely to accept a sec
ondary position in international affairs not
merely in political but in commercial mat
ters It has been well said that there is no
surer way of courting national disaster than
to be opulent aggressive and unarmed
It is not necessary to increase our army
beyond its present size at this time But it
is necessary to keep it at the highest point
of efficiency
Every effort should be made to bring the
army to a constantly increasing state of ef
ficiency When on actual service no work
save that directly in the line of such service
should be required The paper work in the
army as in the navy should be greatly re
duced What is needed is proved power of
command and capacity to work well in the
field Constant care is necessary to prevent
dry rot in the transportation and commis
sary departments
The Congress should provide means where
by it will be possible to have field exerciei
by at least a division of regulars and if
possible also a division of national guards
men once a year
Only actual handling and providing for
men in masses while they are marching
camping embarking and disembarking will
it be possible to train the higher officers to
perform their duties v eli and smoothly
A great debt is owing from the public to
the men of tho army and navy They should
be so treated as to enable them to reach the
highest point of efficiency so that they may
be able to respond Instantly to any demand
made upon them to sustain thp interests of
the nation and the honor of the flag The
individual American enlisted man is prob
ably on the whole a more formidable lighting
man than the regular of any other army
Every consideration should be shown him
and in return the highest standard of use
fulness should be exacted from him It is
well worth while for the Congress to con
sider whether the pay of enlisted men upon
second and subsequent enlistments should
not be increased to correspond with the in
creased value of the veteran soldier
Militia Laws Obsolete
Action should be taken in reference to the
militia and to the raising of volunteer forces
Our militia law is obsolete and worthless
The organization and armament of the Na
tional Guard of the several states which are
treated as militia in the appropriations by
the Congress should be made identical with
those provided for the regular forces The
obligations and duties of the Guard in time
of war should be carefully defined and a
system established by law under which the
method of procedure of raising volunteer
forces should be prescribed in advance It
i3 utterly impossible in the excitement and
haste of impending war to do this satisfac
torily if the arrangements have not been
made long beforehand Provision should be
made for utilizing in the first volunteer or
ganizations called out the training of those
citizens who have already had experience un
der arms and especially for the selection in
advance of the officers of any force which
may be raised for careful selection of the
kind necessary is Impossible after the out
break of war
That the army Is not at all a mere in
strument of destruction has been shown dur
ing the last three years In the Philippines
Cuba and Porto Rico it has proved Itself a
great constructive force a most potent im
plement for the upbuilding of a peaceful civ
ilization
Eulogy of Veterans
No other citizens daserve so well of the
republic a3 the veterans the survivors ot
They dM the
those who flfflinri rf
on- deed which Jf UB nfotory vast for
nothing But fottfi stasfprowes
crisis of our nlfltory v
tho greatest great V
j meanlnglMS an
nnnais would be
experiment In
PDalr IuwiTTr tiwr
crnment a gloomy fallura
not on
left ua a unncw mm
an a heritage the
ii Tiv which the
ua also r a3 kept
now woe --
united Wo are united
t u on in iiitujv
in incu uo -
oTdovoton toth flag which
lUr aOVOUira lu m
an
unity
and
bol of all national greatness enables
n -
Ui our -
the very compieteaesa uuum
in uie vaior mown -
Qnutk la the
of the Souta
North and tho sons
times that tried mens souls
Merit System Endorsed
The merit system of making PP gJ
and American
is in its esBence as democratic
schools system Itself
as tha common
ply means that in clerical and other Pmoaa
where the duties are entirely noa poUtlcai
all applicants should hare a fllJ agJ
W martta as
no favor each standing on
is ablr to show them by praLniV
ten competitive examinations offer the only
available means in many cases
this system In other cases as where ia
borers are employed ayf0fTO
tlon undoubtedly can be widely eae
places where the writ
There nre of course
ten competitive examination cannot bo ap
piled and others where it offers by no means
an ideal solution but whero fpt1
political conditions It is though an Imperfect
Tinn vpf the best present means ot get
ting satisfactory results
It is important to havo this system ob
tain at home but It Is even more important
to havo it applied rigidly In our insular pos
sessions The administration of those Wanda
should be as wholly free from the suspicion
of partisan politics as the administration of
tho army and navy All that we ask from
the public servant in the Philippines or Porto
Rico is that he reflect honor on his country
by tho way in which ha makes that coun
trys rule a benefit to tho peoples who have
conio under It This is all that we should
ask and wo cannot afford to be content with
less
Treatment of Indians
The message points out the defects In our
present consular service and recommends the
passage of bills now boforo Congress that
will increase ita efficiency Of tho Indian
problem it says-
In my Judgment tho time has armed
when we should definitely make up our mlnda
to recognize tbo Indian a an individual and
not an a member of a tribe Tho General
Allotmont Act is a mighty pulverizing engine
n htr nn tho tHhi mnni It acts direct
ly upon the family of tho individual Under
its provisions some sixty thousand Indiana
have already becomo citizens of tha United
States Wo should now break up the tribal
funds doing for them what allotment does
for the tribal lands that Is they should be
divided into individual holdings A stop
should be put upon tho Indiscriminate per
mission to Indians to lcaso their allotments
The effort should be steadily to make tho
Indian work liko any other man on his own
ground The marriage laws ot the Indians
should be made tho eame as those of the
whites
In dealing with the aboriginal races few
things are more important than to preserve
them from tho terrible physical and moral
degradation resulting from the liquor traf
fic Wo are doing all we can to save our own
Indian tribes from this evil Wherever by
international agreement this same end can be
attained as regards races whero we do not
possess exclusive control every effort should
bo made to bring it about
I bespeak tho most cordial support from
the Congress and the people for the St Iiouls
Exposition to Commemorato the Ono Hun
dredth Anniversary of the Louisiana Pur
chaso This purchase was the greatest In
stanco of oxpanslon in our history It def
initely decided that wo woro to become ev
great continental republic by far the fore
most power In the Western Hemisphere The
national government should be represented1
at the exposition by a full and complete set
of exhibits
Tho people of Charleston with great en
ergy and civic spirit are carrying on an ex
position which will continue throughout most
of the prosont session of the Congress I
heartily commend this exposition to the good
will of the people It deserves all tho en
couragement that can bo given It
For the sake of good administration souna
economy and the advancement of science the
Census Office aa now constituted should be
made a permanent government bureau This
would insure better cheaper and more sat
isfactory work in the interest not only of
our business but of statistic economic and
social science
Growth of Postal Service
t
The remarkable growth of the postal ser
vice is shown in tha fact that its revenues
have doubled and Its expenditures havo near
ly doubled within twelve years Its progres
sive development compels constantly Increas
ing outlay but in this period of business en
ergy and prosperity its receipts grow so much
faster than its expenses that the annual de
ficit has been steadily reduced from 11411
779 in 1897 to 13923727 In 1901 Among recent
postal advances the success of rural free
delivery wherever established has been so
marked and actual experience has made Its
benefits so plain that the demand for its ex
tension is general and urgent
It is just that the great agricultural popu
lation should share in the Improvement of tho
service The number of rural routes now in
operation is 6009 practically all established
within three years and there are 6000 appli
cations awaiting action It is expected that
the number in operation at the close of the
current fiscal year will reach 8600 The mail
will then be daily carried to the doors of
5700000 of our people who have heretofore
been dependent upon distant offices and ono
third of all that portion of the country which
Is adapted to it will be covered by this kind
of service
Second Clasa Mall Matter
The full measure of postal progress which
might be realized has long been hampered
and obstructed by the heavy burden imposed
on the government through the Intrenched
and well understood abuses which have
grown up in connection with second class
mail matter The extent of this burden ap
pears when It is stated that while the
matter makes nearly three fifths of
the weight of all the mall it paid for the
last fiscal year only 42915 of the aggre
gate postal revenue of J1U631493 If the
pound rate of postage which produces the
large loss thus entailed and which waa fixed
by the Conjrress with the mimn of n
I aging the dissemination of public
tlOn WPfP llmltaf tn 1ltl
vv 6uiaie news
papers and periodicals actually contemplated
by the law no just exception could bo taken
That expense would be the recognized and
accepted cost of a liberal public policy de
liberately adopted for a justifiable end But
much ot the matter which enjoys the privi
leged rate is wholly outside of the intent of
the law and has secured admission only
through an evasion of its requirements
through lax construction The proportion or of
such wrongly included matter is estimated
tareXpertVbe onehalt of the whole
vn 0 second class mail If it be only
SriS r one luarter the magnitude of
the burden Is
apparent The Postofflce De-
ssri s svssbv sss
ffiSS S W
Wo view with lively interest
and keen
thepf AbeneflcIaI Its the proctdinga
ct
the Pan American Congress thl
convoked
at
invitation of Mexico and now sitting
Mexican capital The delegates ol thf UnlSS
States are under the most libera taitenrttoS
to co operate with their colleasrupo
matters promising advantage to S J
family of American commonwealth 123
in their relations WeU
among themsBl
o
their domestic advancement
nd m h
8lC
intercourse
with the world at larse
The occurrences arising from th
outbreak in China are reviewed IndntJu
the steps taken to U and
secure to th t
its share of the trade of he OrWd SUtea
The death of Queen Vlctori
r j
people of the United States deen SP
felt sorrow to which ttinl2Md heart
full exnression iS - gave
died our nation in turn received frKIne3r
quarter of the British emnir S22 Ter
grief and RrMa0n8 C
sympathy
no iea
death of the Empress DowSSr Unc2re Tho
Germany also aroused Se Renul Ck
01 the American pewIfMS Pby
was cordially rpcinrf3 iha sympathy
the President was assassinated S 7hen
every quarter of the clvllld trom
colved at the time of he S wS
assurances of such stIm a 3laeats death
touch the hearts o owpeortj EPS M tS
of our affliction we reverlntlv thH1vmd3t
mighty that X0 M
wo are at peaCe
with
of mankind and we flrmiv Yi tJho nations
policy shall rnRtend that
be such as t our
these international relations UQ oker
spect and good will 8 o mutual re-
White HSSff MOSEVSW
A
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